Published: Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 29, 2014 at 9:45 p.m.

Some quarterbacks win over their teammates and earn their respect by standing strong in the pocket and delivering a clutch touchdown pass in the face of a heavy rush.

Others do it with a big scramble play or a courageous run or by throwing a block for a teammate.

Jeff Driskel did it by picking himself up off the Florida Field grass and somehow walking off the field on a broken leg last September against Tennessee.

“Jeff is a grown man, and he's as tough a competitor that I've been around as far as just from an athlete's standpoint,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “To have him walk off the field with what happened to him, he's a lot tougher than me. And it just says something about his toughness, his mental edge and what he's got about him. And that's why he's got great respect from the locker room. It's because of his competitive edge.

“There's no question (that the players rally around him). At the end of the day, guys respect competitors. Guys respect tough guys. And he is one.”

A year ago, the Florida coaches were anticipating Driskel having a breakout season based on his performance in preseason camp. But that plan ended painfully and abruptly, when he was hit from behind in the first quarter of the third game and fell to the ground in great pain.

The trainers wanted to help him off the field or put him on a stretcher. But Driskel got up and limped off on his own. As it turned out, Florida's season limped off with him in what would become a disastrous 4-8 year, the Gators' first losing season since 1979.

Driskel is back now, on two strong legs. And the Gators seem ready to stand with their junior quarterback and follow him in what many are anticipating could be a big bounce-back year for both under new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper.

“I have a lot of respect for Jeff and I know that falls through to a lot of the guys in the locker room,” senior linebacker Michael Taylor said. “We all have respect for Jeff, especially him not being able to finish the season last year. A lot of us weren't able to finish the season last year, so just that fact and knowing that we're coming back and he's coming back to lead the team, lead the offense. We've got a lot of respect for him because we know a lot of our success will be in his hands.”

His teammates have a good idea how hard their quarterback will compete for them, how mentally strong he will be when the pressure in on, how he will be willing put it all on the line to try and win games.

He showed that physical and mental grit in his last game in The Swamp, when he walked off the field instead of being carried off.

“I wasn't trying to be a hero. I wasn't trying to have any kind of moment or anything like that. I just felt at the time it was best for me to walk off the field,” Driskel said. “I don't know if it shows toughness or shows leadership, but at the end of the day football is a tough sport and you've got to be able to show off that toughness at times. I'm just looking forward to this year.”

Driskel said the injury, and what happened to the Gators in 2013, will not be on his mind when he takes the field tonight for the first time since last September.

“That's not really in my mind at all,” he said. “That's in the past. I'm good to go now. Not thinking about it, just getting back out there with the guys is what I'm looking forward to most. Seeing how the young guys respond to going out there in front of fans rather than doing it on the practice field.

“I just want to see how we can go out and play together for the first time against an opponent.”

Driskel and the Gators are eager (and excited) to move forward in Roper's spread, uptempo offense, which seems a good fit for Driskel's skill set and it involves all the skill players.

In preseason camp, the Gators showed the ability to make plays in the running and passing game, and Driskel was consistent and accurate on deep passes that stretched the field.

“I think we have the players to really flourish in the system that we're running,” Driskel said. “We have a lot of players that can make plays in space. Coach Roper is always uptempo. He's always a positive guy, and we needed that around here.

“I think our confidence comes from making a lot of plays. In the spring, we made a lot of big plays and that carried over to the summer. During camp, we had a really great, great camp. We protected the ball and made big plays. When you put those two things together, you're going to be looking at a pretty good offense.”

And Muschamp really likes the guy leading it. The quarterback who was tough enough to walk off the field on a broken leg a year ago.

“We never really, as a fan base, got to enjoy the progress that he made from year two to year three, last year,” Muschamp said. “I see much more command, comfort level better around him. You know, we're better up front, we're better at wideout, we're better at running back, we're better at tight end. All those components come together.

“He's a much better player because of the people around him. But I also see a guy that's very driven, very competitive.”

Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.

<p>Some quarterbacks win over their teammates and earn their respect by standing strong in the pocket and delivering a clutch touchdown pass in the face of a heavy rush.</p><p>Others do it with a big scramble play or a courageous run or by throwing a block for a teammate.</p><p>Jeff Driskel did it by picking himself up off the Florida Field grass and somehow walking off the field on a broken leg last September against Tennessee.</p><p>“Jeff is a grown man, and he's as tough a competitor that I've been around as far as just from an athlete's standpoint,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “To have him walk off the field with what happened to him, he's a lot tougher than me. And it just says something about his toughness, his mental edge and what he's got about him. And that's why he's got great respect from the locker room. It's because of his competitive edge.</p><p>“There's no question (that the players rally around him). At the end of the day, guys respect competitors. Guys respect tough guys. And he is one.”</p><p>A year ago, the Florida coaches were anticipating Driskel having a breakout season based on his performance in preseason camp. But that plan ended painfully and abruptly, when he was hit from behind in the first quarter of the third game and fell to the ground in great pain.</p><p>The trainers wanted to help him off the field or put him on a stretcher. But Driskel got up and limped off on his own. As it turned out, Florida's season limped off with him in what would become a disastrous 4-8 year, the Gators' first losing season since 1979.</p><p>Driskel is back now, on two strong legs. And the Gators seem ready to stand with their junior quarterback and follow him in what many are anticipating could be a big bounce-back year for both under new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper.</p><p>“I have a lot of respect for Jeff and I know that falls through to a lot of the guys in the locker room,” senior linebacker Michael Taylor said. “We all have respect for Jeff, especially him not being able to finish the season last year. A lot of us weren't able to finish the season last year, so just that fact and knowing that we're coming back and he's coming back to lead the team, lead the offense. We've got a lot of respect for him because we know a lot of our success will be in his hands.”</p><p>His teammates have a good idea how hard their quarterback will compete for them, how mentally strong he will be when the pressure in on, how he will be willing put it all on the line to try and win games.</p><p>He showed that physical and mental grit in his last game in The Swamp, when he walked off the field instead of being carried off.</p><p>“I wasn't trying to be a hero. I wasn't trying to have any kind of moment or anything like that. I just felt at the time it was best for me to walk off the field,” Driskel said. “I don't know if it shows toughness or shows leadership, but at the end of the day football is a tough sport and you've got to be able to show off that toughness at times. I'm just looking forward to this year.”</p><p>Driskel said the injury, and what happened to the Gators in 2013, will not be on his mind when he takes the field tonight for the first time since last September.</p><p>“That's not really in my mind at all,” he said. “That's in the past. I'm good to go now. Not thinking about it, just getting back out there with the guys is what I'm looking forward to most. Seeing how the young guys respond to going out there in front of fans rather than doing it on the practice field.</p><p>“I just want to see how we can go out and play together for the first time against an opponent.”</p><p>Driskel and the Gators are eager (and excited) to move forward in Roper's spread, uptempo offense, which seems a good fit for Driskel's skill set and it involves all the skill players.</p><p>In preseason camp, the Gators showed the ability to make plays in the running and passing game, and Driskel was consistent and accurate on deep passes that stretched the field.</p><p>“I think we have the players to really flourish in the system that we're running,” Driskel said. “We have a lot of players that can make plays in space. Coach Roper is always uptempo. He's always a positive guy, and we needed that around here. </p><p>“I think our confidence comes from making a lot of plays. In the spring, we made a lot of big plays and that carried over to the summer. During camp, we had a really great, great camp. We protected the ball and made big plays. When you put those two things together, you're going to be looking at a pretty good offense.”</p><p>And Muschamp really likes the guy leading it. The quarterback who was tough enough to walk off the field on a broken leg a year ago.</p><p>“We never really, as a fan base, got to enjoy the progress that he made from year two to year three, last year,” Muschamp said. “I see much more command, comfort level better around him. You know, we're better up front, we're better at wideout, we're better at running back, we're better at tight end. All those components come together.</p><p>“He's a much better player because of the people around him. But I also see a guy that's very driven, very competitive.”</p><p><i>Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.</i></p>